This came in as a comment on one of my other posts, and I am moving it here to a new post and replying that way instead to give others a chance to comment. Thanks to Sandra of TroopingtheColour for allowing me to use the wonderful picture of Charity and Kitty below, in this post.
Hello!
Sorry for the off topic post but.. you do own a Bull Terrier and cats, right? I am thinking about owning a female miniature bull terrier and a female cat and I am unsure as to whether that is a good combination since I have heard from a few that the bulls might get aggressive towards the cat.
Have you ever had problems with your cats and dog? Or is it really all about their upbringing together?
Thanks a lot, have a great day!
Olivia
[email protected]
Hi Olivia,
Actually, we don’t have a Bull Terrier at this time, we had to put Mojo down because of his neurological issues (he was a compulsive tailchaser and had seizures, among other things) on December 13 and I just haven’t had the heart to take that picture down on the main page.
As far as aggression towards other animals goes, my personal opinion is that if you get the dog as a puppy and raise the two together, and spend time properly socializing and training the dog, you should be OK. Having said that, though, I have been told that minis can be a little ‘feistier’ with other animals than standards. Talk to the breeder you chose about this issue, see if they can provide examples of their dogs living in a multi-pet household.
Adult dogs not raised around cats and other animals are a bit trickier. It can often be done, but I wouldn’t count on it.
I’ve had three Bull Terriers and two Pit Bulls that were all raised with cats and were fine with them –actually the second Pit Bull, our Lilly, was NOT raised with cats and is a high prey-drive dog, and still adapted with careful introduction.
I hope this information helps a bit, I’ve also asked a few bully friends if they would like to comment here on this subject, so you might check back on this page later. One last thing, if you are interested in a Miniature Bull Terrier, you should make sure you are well aware of the health issues that can afflict the breed (there are some that affect both Standards and Miniatures, and at least one additional disease that minis specifically are prone to), and the testing that should be done on the parents prior to breeding. Ask for hard-copy proof (an ethical breeder should not take offense at this) and make sure that it is current. Information on health testing can be found on the MBTCA site’s breeder code of ethics page:
http://www.healthydogs.com/mbtca/codeofethics.htm
Good luck with your future MiniBull!
Simon and Mojo, spring 2004
lots of minis (and even some standards) are ok with cats – regardless whether or not they were “got young & raised up right together” – the issue has very little to do with the raising together as youngsters & EVERYTHING to do with their basic natures. I raise our pups with 2 cats, and from an early age I know which pups will never be trustworthy with cats (too strong a prey drive), which will probably be *wussy with pussy* forever, and which, with proper socialization should be ok, but a bad cat or bad owner could push to the wrong side of the fence. However, I would not in good conscience lay the outcome at the owner’s feet by saying – well, it’s all in how you raise & train them – because that is only part of the story. The cat has a version, and the dog has a puppy & adult version. This is taking for granted, even, that the owner does all the right things & none of the bad things – even tho lots of bad things are not recognized as such. after all, owners are not animal psychologists, professional trainers, or even experienced much in inter-species relationships. There are good books on the subject – I haven’t read any – I supervise my dogs & cats & the cats have escape routes just in case.
My Bram was two when we got our kitten. Once I was able to communicate to her that Maya was “ours”, she was fine — prior to that, just curious; no desire to harm.
Amy, born to Bram, was also raised with Maya, and although Amy had a somewhat stronger prey drive, she and Maya were friends. All used to sleep together in the sun, in the living room.
After Bram and Amy left for the Bridge, we got Maizey as a puppy, so she grew up with Maya. Maya was a “good cat”, that is; no wish to harm the dogs.
Ten months after Maizey’s arrival, Maddy was added. She had no problem with Maya, but was of a “pestering” nature. I had to watch what sort of mood Maddy was in. She would corner Maya, and torment her; and Maya wasn’t having fun, and Maddy didn’t care.
When I did assessments of Rescue dogs in the house, Maya was our barometer. She “knew.” She was cautious but accepting of dogs that were basically okay. She fled to the highest of the high places with dogs that were out for blood sport.
It really depends on the dog. And the cat. And the “family dynamic.” There are no simple answers here. I recommend extreme caution in all instances when one creature can easily and quickly kill another creature. And that’s the case with Bully and Kitty.
Shari
Thanks guys, for adding your comments. My opinion was based on a much more limited range of experience and hopefully this has given a better overall view.
Maybe I have just been really lucky, because even though both of my Pit Bulls and one of the Bull Terriers were very prey-driven, they understood that the cats were ‘family’. Even Lilly, who knew cats for the first half of her life only as something she saw from a distance and wanted to chase (she also had a habit of eating any wildlife that she found in the backyard) adapted, and she actually developed a bond with Simon.